Bradley Welsh murder: Trainspotting 2 star ‘caught in crossfire’ of brutal gangland turf war
BRADLEY Welsh’s execution was ordered after the T2 Trainspotting star got “caught in the crossfire” of a brutal gangland turf war, sources revealed tonight.
Underworld insiders claimed the gym boss, 48, was gunned down in the street to “get at” his drug baron pal Mark Richardson, 34, as part of a power grab by a rival.
The trial of killer Sean Orman, 30, heard from a witness who said he claimed he was to be paid £10,000 by George ‘Dode’ Baigrie, 38, to murder ex-boxer Bradley for his “next hit” a month before the actor was blasted in the head with a shotgun outside his flat in Edinburgh’s New Town.
Sources claim the assassination — and Orman’s attempted murder of Bradley’s friend David McMillan, 50, at his home in Morningside in the capital — were linked to Baigrie’s long-running feud with Richardson, who was caged in 2018 for his role in a £200million crime supergang.
Bradley Welsh murder: Chilling CCTV shows gangland hitman Sean Orman fleeing scene with shotgun
An insider said last night: “When Richardson went away, it was seen as an opportunity to some.
“He left a void and they wanted to move in — to take over. McMillan and Welsh were close to Richardson. This was done to get at him.
“Baigrie and Richardson have been rivals in the Edinburgh area for years. They did time together and had to be separated.
“They both want to be top dog and take no s*** from anyone.”
The source added: “Richardson is aligned with the Daniels in Glasgow and Baigrie is associated with their rivals the Lyons family.”
Bradley is understood to have been taken out purely because of his friendship with Richardson.
It is believed “back-up” from Glasgow was drafted in as tensions rose in the city two years ago.
Another insider said: “In the past Baigrie told Welsh what he thought of Richardson and that he shouldn’t have anything to do with him.
“Welsh just dismissed him but it sowed the seed of bother between them.
“He would help Richardson by basically acting as a fixer and speaking to folk on his behalf. He never dealt drugs though.
“When Richardson was jailed again, Baigrie was just getting out. He saw it as an opportunity to take over the streets.”
Sources claimed the hit on Welsh — shot at 8pm on April 17, 2019 as he returned home from his Holyrood Boxing Gym in Edinburgh — was finally ordered after a conversation between the T2 star and Baigrie.
One said: “Welsh told Baigrie he had stepped over the line, which he did not take kindly to.
“Baigrie thought Welsh had no right telling him anything — he took it as a personal insult. Orman was set up to take him out.”
Former amateur boxing champion Baigrie was previously caged for 15 years over an unprovoked samurai sword attack which inflicted horrific injuries on two men in Dalkeith, Midlothian, in 2003.
Cocaine kingpin Richardson was jailed for his role in a crime gang that authorities said terrorised Scotland for four years. He got eight years and nine months after admitting having a Glock gun.
The hood was caged for another 18 months for reckless conduct over a cop car chase through Edinburgh in 2016. Baigrie faced no charges over Bradley’s murder, but was frequently mentioned during Orman’s 12-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
CCTV images of a man making a call from an Airdrie phone box days after the killing were shown to the jury, and Detective Constable John Irving identified the man as Baigrie.
Prosecutor Richard Goddard said he called Orman’s mum Shona, 58, days after Bradley was murdered to tell her that her son was “okay”.
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The advocate depute also told the trial how witness Dean White, 49, claimed Orman had spoken of doing jobs for a man called ‘Dode Baigrie’.
Jurors also heard from businessman Mr McMillan about how he had known Bradley since childhood.
He described Welsh, a charity worker in the last years of his life, as a “very, very close family friend”.
Texts from Bradley read out in court called Mr McMillan his “brother”.
Details were also revealed about how Mr McMillan dropped off his dad, also called David, to visit “family friend” Richardson.
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